What's next for the conservative side of politics? Where are new battlelines to be drawn? Current opposition Leader Tony Abbott offers a frank analysis of the way forward for the Liberal Party from 2009 when he was Federal Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Here he draws lessons from the dying days of the Howard Government, and gives his views on his contemporaries, including Kevin Rudd, Peter Costello, Julia Gillard and Malcolm Turnbull. In Battlelines, Abbott looks at the values and instincts that drive the Liberal Party and proposes policy that the party should adopt. This is the often humorous story of his own political development. He describes the truth about politicians' lives; his 'days from hell'; insider moments from the halls of power; and how a would-be priest believed he had fathered an unknown son. Battlelines outlines a state of play for the Liberal Party, cementing Tony Abbott's reputation as one of the Liberal Party's most interesting thinkers and fearless advocates.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Aha! Lord Sparr has put Princess Keeah under a magic spell. Eric, Julie, and Neal can help her if they go to the Land of the Lost. But only ghosts live there. And if they don't get out soon, the kids will turn into ghosts themselves!
She died today. One phone call changes Jason's summer vacation-and life!-forever. When Jason's grandmother dies, he's sent down to her home in Florida to help his father clean out her things. At first he gripes about spending his summer miles away from his best friend, doing chores, and sweating in the Florida heat, but he soon discovers a mystery surrounding his grandmother's murky past. An old, yellowed postcard...a creepy phone call with a raspy voice at the other end asking, "So how smart are you?"...an entourage of freakish funeral goers....a bizarre magazine story. All contain clues that will send him on a thrilling journey to uncover family secrets. Award-winning author Tony Abbott weaves an intriguing and entertaining mystery of adventure, friendship and family.
When Tony Abbott declared on election night, 7 September, 2013, that Australia was "under new management and once more open for business", he was emphasising more than his incoming government's determination to revive the national economy. By using the lingo of small business, he was affirming his affinity with what his predecessor Robert Menzies called "the backbone of the nation" Australia's hard-working middle class. This collection of speeches from Abbott's prime ministership covers every aspect of policy, from free trade to indigenous affairs, taxation, terrorism, history, the environment, bureaucratic red tape, religion and more. Yet all are deeply imbued with Abbott's - and the Liberal Party's - middle-class values of freedom, enterprise, patriotism and love of family. These speeches eloquently encapsulate that uniquely Australian style of optimism which throughout our history has, even against the odds, underpinned our prosperity.
Perfect for fans of Gary D. Schmidt comes the companion to the modern classic Firegirl from acclaimed writer Tony Abbott. Life hasn't been great for Jeff Hicks. After years at his beloved St. Catherine's, he's forced to spend eighth grade in the public middle school, which he hates. He's no longer speaking to his former best friend, Tom Bender, because of "that burned girl" Jessica Feeney. But worst of all, his family is changing, and it's not for the better. When his mom comes home announcing that she's lost her job, Jeff begins to worry about things far beyond his years: How will they pay the rent? Will his absentee dad step up and save the day? Is his mom drinking too much? And ultimately, where will they live? The Great Jeff is a powerful look at the life of a troubled boy who finds his life spiraling out of control.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric has been wounded during an epic battle with Ko and his beasts. Now, the young wizard lies in a coma, trapped in a dream-state halfway between fantasy and reality. Desperate to find a cure, Neal, Julie, and Princess Keeah rush to Samarindo, a beautiful but dangerous city famous for its dark magic. But they are immediately attacked by a group of bandits. Can the friends track down the cure before it's too late?
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Keeah, a junior wizard, has always dreamed of the day she would receive her Wizardbook. So when her mother presents her first one, Keeah is overjoyed. But what she doesn't realize is how very powerful and dangerous a Wizardbook can be. If she isn't careful, she might accidentally destroy the entire kingdom of Droon! Keeah will need the help of her friends, Eric, Julie, and Neal, along with Max the Spider Troll, to keep her on the right path...For the first time ever readers get to hear Keeah's point of view as she tells readers about the exciting adventures and wondrous magic of Droon!
Bobby and his family are visiting Civil War battlefields on the eve of the war's centenary, while inside their car, quiet battles rage. When an accident cuts their trip short, they return home on a bus and witness an incident that threatens to deny a black family seats. What they don't know is the reason for the family's desperation to be on that bus: a few towns away, their child is missing. Lunch-Box Dream presents Jim Crow, racism, and segregation from multiple perspectives. In this story of witnessing without understanding, a naïvely prejudiced boy, in brief flashes of insight, starts to identify and question his assumptions about race.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Brrr! Jaffa City is under a spell of ice and snow. Even Galen the wizard is frozen solid! Eric, Julie, Neal, and Princess Keeah have to figure out a way to break Lord Sparr's curse. But they better hurry or they might get frozen, too.
Fans of Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Ook and Glook and Patricia Reilly Giff's ZigZag Kids will flock to this chapter-book mystery series full of slapstick humor and silly situations by the wildly popular Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series. Jeff, Brian, Mara, and Kelly are self-proclaimed goofballs. Since first grade these friends have been solving mystery among their schoolmates etc and now their reputation is expanding. Rich kid Randall Crandall's horse, Thunder, goes missing and he calls upon the Goofballs to find him. Deciphering the clues that range from a flower delivery truck, a thunderstorm and a horse who's afraid of thunder, leads the Goofballs to recover missing Thunder, the flower-loving horse. In the meantime, they follow a trail of chomped-up flowers, disguise themselves as bushes in a florist shop and spend some time in a house that's bigger than the White House.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Lord Sparr is back... and meaner than ever! This time, he is in search of the Coiled Viper, an ancient magical object of unknown, incredible power. Princess Keeah and her Upper World friends - Eric, Neal, and Julie - know they have to stop Sparr from uncovering the Viper. But there's one little catch. The Viper can't be found in Droon... because it's hidden somewhere in the Upper World!
Fans of Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Ook and Glook and Patricia Reilly Giff's ZigZag Kids will flock to this chapter-book mystery series full of slapstick humor and silly situations by the wildly popular Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series. The Goofballs Jeff, Brian, Mara and Kelly, haven't had a mystery to solve in a while, so they help decorate for the 100th Anniversary of Badger Point school celebration. The new statue of the first principal is being unveiled at the party but the statue has disappeared. With clues like a skateboard in a piano, a broken pencil, a scrap of paper that smells like chlorine, and a climbing rope hung differently than the others, the Goofballs solve their goofiest mystery yet.
“This affectionate if somewhat irreverent homage would probably win a chuckle from Twain himself” as pals tumble into Tom Sawyer (School Library Journal). Sixth graders Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are the greatest goof-offs in the history of their school. When their teacher tells them to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, they skip it. When there’s a surprise test on the novel, they hide. But when they accidentally drop the school’s prized Mark Twain autograph through the library’s magic metal detector, they find themselves transported to the world of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Soon these modern middle schoolers learn that being a troublemaker is timeless, as they whitewash a fence, run away from home, solve a murder mystery, become pirates, and search for hidden treasure along with Tom and Huck, the original slackers. “Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne’s ‘Magic Tree House’ series, but for an older audience,” the second book in Tony Abbott’s Cracked Classics series is a perfect introduction to Mark Twain for reluctant readers (School Library Journal).
Fans of Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Ook and Glook and Patricia Reilly Giff's ZigZag Kids will flock to this chapter-book mystery series full of slapstick humor and silly situations by the wildly popular Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series. The Badger Point School is holding a talent show, and the Goofballs - sleuths Jeff Bunter, Mara Lubin, Kelly Smitts, and Brian Rooney - are set to be its stars. That is if the show even happens, with problems and mysteries at every turn. A giant pink tuba goes missing, the costumes are all the wrong size, and the talent show's director disappears before the cast's eyes. Good thing that the Goofballs are expert detectives. Funny, punny, and full of fun, this latest case in the Goofballs series will be eagerly devoured by old and new fans, alike.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! An immortal dragon. A long hidden secret. The kingdom of Droon is at the brink of war. . .The situation in Droon has never been more desperate. The wizard Galen is missing. Eric has been forced undercover with Gethwing, the all-powerful Moon Dragon. And millions of beasts are assembling outside Jaffa City, ready to attack Droon's capital.Eric, Keeah, Neal, and Julie will do whatever it takes to save their beloved kingdom. But to defeat the Moon Dragon, they'll need to uncover the greatest secret in all of Droon. . . .
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Magic is on the move... into the real world. As Eric and his friends venture beyond the jeweled door and down the dark stairway, they enter a whole new chapter in their Droon adventures. They enter the "Upper World" -- our world. In this exciting special edition, for the first time ever, the magical world of Droon is expanding into the real world. Wizards, goblins, and all kinds of magical mischief are in store -- and this time, it's not just a wonder of Droon. It's a reality.
This poignant novel about a boy's friendship with a burn victim is perfect for fans of R. J. Palacio's Wonder From the moment Jessica arrives, life is never quite the same for Tom and his seventh-grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and was badly burned, and will be attending St. Catherine's will receiving medical treatments. Despite her appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes his life.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! The home of Khan, king of the Lumpies, has been ransacked! A treacherous band of thieves, the Rat-faced Snitchers of Zoop, has stolen a mysterious treasure that the Lumpies had vowed to protect. Now Eric, Neal, Julie, and Keeah must pursue the Snitchers back to their hideaway on the edge of the Dark Lands. But they are not alone. For Ko, the kids' most fearsome enemy, is after the treasure, too. Can Eric and his friends find it before the king of beasts?
Derek and his older brother, Ronny, are on therun from the dead. Souls are translating intoliving bodies on the brink of death. Even Ronny'sbody is inhabited by a different soul. Lucky forRonny, this soul is one of the good ones.Not all of them are.The evil souls are coming back, and they'reready for a fight.
Excited about showing his "podtadio" project at the school science fair, Mike becomes alarmed when the wired potato develops a mind of its own and decides to take over Grover's Mill and then the entire world. Original.
TV cameras follow Spencer Babbitt and his wacky friends around their Hollywood school, creating havoc at every turn. This story captures the excitement and humor of children's sitcoms by fusing actual scripting techniques with traditional narrative style.
The Danger Guys find themselves in a real-life scary movie, and the ending is up to them It’s Halloween, and best friends Noodle and Zeek have decided to make a horror movie in honor of the holiday. To show the boys how real films are made, Zeek’s family takes them to Paragon, the oldest studio in Hollywood. During the tour, a huge lightning storm separates Noodle and Zeek from the rest of the group. The two boys suddenly find themselves in a world of famous sets and exciting props. It’s the perfect location for their own movie! But it turns out that Paragon Studio has more than a little danger—and not just the staged kind. The lightning damaged the studio’s central control center, and all the electronic props are now going crazy. Noodle and Zeek must battle an evil robot, a sneezing dinosaur, and a deadly mummy in order to find and warn Zeek’s family. Little do they know that Zeek’s family is also under attack! With some luck and a lot of movie drama, the Danger Guys show Paragon Studio what real heroes look like. Danger Guys: Hollywood Halloween on Ice is the 3rd book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Bestselling author Tony Abbott’s YA novel-in-verse is an unflinching and heartbreaking look at a boy’s junk-filled life, and the ways he finds redemption and hope, perfect for fans of The Crossover and Long Way Down. Junk. That’s what the kids at school call Bobby Lang, mostly because his rundown house looks like a junkyard, but also because they want to put him down. Trying desperately to live under the radar at school—and at the home he shares with his angry, neglectful father—Bobby develops a sort of proud loneliness. The only buffer between him and the uncaring world is his love of the long, wooded trail between school and home. Life grinds along quietly and hopelessly for Bobby until he meets Rachel. Rachel is an artist who sees him in a way no one ever has. Maybe it’s because she has her own kind of junk, and a parent who hates what Rachel is: gay. Together the two embark on journeys to clean up the messes that fill their lives, searching against all odds for hope and redemption. Narrated in Bobby’s unique voice in arresting free verse, this novel will captivate readers right from its opening lines, urging them on page after page, all the way to its explosive conclusion.
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Ko is back in power -- and nothing in Droon is safe! His beasts have found a lightning-powered submarine hidden in the secret Fortress of the Treasure Queen. Now Eric and his friends have to stop Ko before he destroys Jaffa City. But first they'll need help from their worst enemy -- Lord Sparr. If he can be trusted . . . .
For two sixth graders who feel about school the way Scrooge feels about Christmas, a magical trip into Dickens’s tale is just what their spirits need. It’s Christmastime at Palmdale Middle School, and the sixth grade class has organized a holiday banquet for local families in need. Best friends Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are excited to eat, but they forgot to bring in food donations. They also didn’t read A Christmas Carol for Mr. Wexler’s English class. While the two fight over the school’s last copy, the library’s magic security gates suddenly transport them straight into Charles Dickens’s timeless tale, where they come face to face with grouchy Ebenezer Scrooge, who’s about to get a wake-up call from some ghosts on Christmas Eve. As the ghosts show the stingy Scrooge the consequences of all the selfish choices he’s made in life, Devin and Frankie come to realize that they too have a few things to learn about kindness and generosity. Reluctant readers “Devin and Frankie are wisecracking underachievers and their characterizations and dialogue ring true” in Tony Abbott’s Cracked Classics series (School Library Journal).
This coming-of-age story is a tale of fantasy and mystery, of goblins, elves, and flying reindeer, and of how a boy from the humblest beginnings fulfills his destiny.
The Singapore Lecture Series was inaugurated in 1980 by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) with a founding endowment from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and augmented by generous donation in 1983 from Exxon Mobil Asia Pacific. The Singapore Lecture is designed to provide the opportunity for distinguished statesmen, scholars, and writers and other similarly highly qualified individuals specializing in banking and commerce, international economics and finance and philosophical and world strategic affairs to visit Singapore. The presence of such eminent personalities will allow Singaporeans, especially the younger executive and decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, to have the benefit of exposure to — through the Lecture, televised discussions, and private consultations — leaders of thought and knowledge in various fields, thereby enabling them to widen their experience and perspectives. On 29 June 2015, the 35th Singapore Lecture was delivered by The Honourable Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia under the distinguished Chairmanship of Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, Singapore.
An action-packed, mythological chapter book series from Tony Abbott! The underworld is in our world now. . . .Owen, Jon, and Sydney managed to rescue Dana from the underworld. But if they don't fulfill their end of the bargain with Hades, she might be headed back -- forever. As if that wasn't bad enough, some very creepy, very one-eyed mythological beasts are on the loose. Cyclopes have taken over the power plant in Pinewood Bluffs! Owen and his friends have to stop them before they destroy the town. But what chance do four kids stand against an army of mythological monsters?
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric and his friends have faced off against Lord Sparr time and time again. They've befriended him as Kid Sparr and battled him as an ancient sorcerer. Now the Lord Sparr they know so well is back at the height of his power. And this time, he's telling his own story.
An action-packed, mythological chapter book series from Tony Abbott! The underworlds are rising -- and no one is safe.Loki is waging war, and Pinewood Bluffs is about to become his battlefield. Owen, Dana, Jon, and Sydney know they have to stop him. They'll do whatever it takes.But when they stow away in Loki's sledge and emerge in a new, mysterious underworld they know nothing about, things get complicated. The Babylonian underworld is dark as night and full of vicious monsters, including the dreaded Scorpion King. Will Owen and his friends ever make it back to Pinewood Bluffs?
Huge Tiki heads with a grudge against Grover’s Mill are turning the town back into a jungle—it’s the Weird Zone’s weirdest trouble yet! All Mike and his friends want to do is play a game of baseball on their first day of summer vacation. But when Liz gets up to bat, home plate begins to shake. Suddenly, five odd-looking men carrying long sticks appear in the middle of the field. When they bang their sticks on the ground, Grover’s Mill turns into a jungle, and giant Tiki heads start popping out of the earth. Even worse, these evil Tiki heads are out for revenge against Grover’s Mill! An ancient prophecy predicts that the Tiki heads will destroy Grover’s Mill. The kids must find a way to prevent it from coming true—and then turn back time. But the Tiki heads seem too powerful to beat. Can the kids save the day before they get trapped in the past?
A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric, Julie, and Neal have just found something magic in Eric's basement. They have discovered a staircase to another world! The world of Droon is amazing - full of magic, flying lizards, and fun, furry creatures. But how will Eric, Julie, and Neal find their way home? Maybe their new friend, Princess Keeah, can help?
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